Orpheus - Haunting the Dead.pdf - Dice

THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER
Fight over, she still standing, Shutty turned to look
through the dust and grime of the never-washed, sixthstory
windows that lined one wall of the room. They
afforded her a dim view of the yellow and gray of the
falsely lit streets below. As she exhaled, partly to calm
herself, partly out of renewed ennui, a silver SUV,
looking from this height more like a gaudy, cheap
wireless phone on wheels than a gas-guzzling status
symbol, whizzed along the damp black pavement and
turned right at the corner, just as the signal changed
from yellow to red.
Soothing as it should have been to realize there was
still something of a world out there, she felt a strange
unease. She lingered a moment, trying to place it. The
thought that Kleck wasn’t interested in her had piqued
her interest in him again. Was that a sign of suicidal
depression, too, she wondered? Or was all of this just a
distraction from some deeper unease?
As she started to turn back toward the others, she
noticed a small handprint in the lower corner of the
filthy glass. Had it been there all along? She didn’t
think so. She rubbed her right hand with her left, trying
to remember putting it against the window, but couldn’t.
That hardly meant she hadn’t, though. Idly, she traced
the outline with her index finger, then pressed her
palm against it. Yep—same size, same shape. It was
hers. The only horror show here was her memory.
When she turned again, she found herself staring at
Bilka’s neck, and had to tilt back to take in the taller
girl’s awkwardly smiling face.
This must be the female bonding portion of the evening,
Shutty thought, but the two of them just stood there
quietly for the longest time. Bilka’s awkwardness was
an unexpected shift from the lioness who’d recently
bellowed the room into silence.
Eventually, Shutty said, “Hello?” and Bilka leaned
forward. Surprised, Shutty stepped back, until she
realized Bilka didn’t want the others to hear what she
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HAUNTING THE DEAD
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